As mentioned in our previous blog, “History of Franklin Township,” most of the land in Northwestern Pennsylvania came under the control of the newly formed United States of America with the 1784 Treaty of Fort Stanwix. The following year, however, disputes of land claims within the colonies began, and a boundary dispute between New YorkContinue reading “Early Surveys of Erie County”
Tag Archives: Howard Falls
American Chestnut
In an earlier blog, Old-Growth Forests, we described how an unbroken forest stretched across eastern North America from Canada to Florida and west to the Great Plains before America was settled by Europeans in the 1600s. In that forest, the predominant tree was the American Chestnut, Castanea dentata, dominating vast portions of the eastern U.S.Continue reading “American Chestnut”
The Invisible Lines of the Early Surveys through the Wilderness
As mentioned in our previous blog post “History of Franklin Township”, the layout of Franklin township was almost predetermined by The Purchase of 1784. A huge tract of newly purchased land, originally named the County of Alleghany, was divided into two great sections by a due east-and-west line running from Mahoning Creek, near Kittanning onContinue reading “The Invisible Lines of the Early Surveys through the Wilderness”
Old-Growth Forests
Have you ever walked in an old-growth forest? Probably not, as in the Eastern United States, almost all of that majestic forest was clear-cut by 1920. However, before Europeans arrived in North America that old growth forest stretched totally unbroken, from Florida to Maine and west to the Great Plains, as the virgin forest mapContinue reading “Old-Growth Forests”
History of Franklin Township
While most history of the northwestern corner of Pennsylvania starts with settlers coming across a remote, untraveled forest, in reality, this land may have once been the ancestral home to indigenous people and the original stewards of what we now call Howard Falls. In the coming years, we hope to explore and research the indigenousContinue reading “History of Franklin Township”
Howard Falls vs Suburban Sprawl
As mentioned in a previous blog (Early Scientific Research at Howard Falls) the remoteness of Franklin Township delayed its settlement compared to other areas of Erie County. In the 1820’s the area was still very sparsely settled. There were no bridges over Elk Creek, none of the roads present today even existed, and the only roadContinue reading “Howard Falls vs Suburban Sprawl”
The West Virginia White Butterfly
One of many invasive plants in Pennsylvania, garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) was introduced on the east coast in the 1860s as a valuable food source and its proclaimed medicinal properties. It has since spread throughout the Northeast and Midwest. This shade-tolerant invasive plant out-competes against native vegetation. It can be especially detrimental at Howard Falls,Continue reading “The West Virginia White Butterfly”
Early Scientific Research at Howard Falls
Over the past 200 years, Howard Falls and the Falls Run Gorge have attracted scientists of varied interests. Most recently, the Falls Run area has been investigated extensively by the Western PA Conservancy, resulting in The Falls Run Gorge being named a Natural Heritage Area of Pennsylvania. But in the 1800s and early 1900s, severalContinue reading “Early Scientific Research at Howard Falls”
Formation of the Falls Run Gorge
Waterfalls, such as Howard Falls, are dynamic formations but can maintain their vertical faces over long periods of time. A classic example of such a waterfall is Niagara Falls, where over 100,000 cubic feet of water flow over the escarpment every second, yet the waterfall remains vertical because of a hard sandstone layer at theContinue reading “Formation of the Falls Run Gorge”
Birds of Howard Falls
Noted ornithologist, John Tautin visited Howard Falls in 2008 to survey bird species as part of the Pennsylvania Breeding Bird Atlas update. John, along with Joan Galli, spent a morning in the deep ravine north of Howard Falls. As part of this survey, 22 species of birds were identified. Notably, a Canada Warbler was spotted. The warbler is a more northernContinue reading “Birds of Howard Falls”